Illias Atherton
Illias Atherton (b. 2380 D.C., d. 2340 D.C.) is a con-man who is best known for inventing the "Greyhawk Gambit", a con in which one or more men enter a small backwoods village and impersonate a prophet, but demand sacrifice. Atherton is best known as the Geissian Mimir, a pseudonym he adopted in his most successful Grayhawk Gambit. Up until his death in 2380 D.C, the village of Geiss worshiped him as a prophet and offered gold and food at his feet. Atherton has had no less than sixteen books written about him, thirty two plays about him, and thousands of pieces of Dakian art about him. Early Life The few letters historians have found indicate that Atherton was born in the year 2380 D.C. Atherton's own stories of his childhood are largely unreliable; the few recorded tales are completely unrelated to one another. As far as one can tell, he was born in the Valley of Theot, in the Dengian Fiefdom, to a pair of craahfe farmers. Atherton appears to have been fairly well educated, often demonstrating a remarkable fluency in local dialects and knowledge of mathematics. His first recorded appearance is at around 2363 D.C., when he shows up in a pub and is shown to have attempted to rob it, and failing that, disappears from the Valley of Theot. He did not show up again on record for a few more years, until he showed up in Geiss. The Grayhawk Gambit Largely considered a "lucky guess" by historians, the Grayhawk Gambit was first put into place in the small village of Geiss, a village of simple Daks who largely produce freian grapes. Part of the success of the con was the trusting nature of the Geissian Daks, and their willingness to accept Athertons story. He rode into the village and proclaimed himself the Geissian Mimir, a foolhardy move at best, and when doubted, spun a tale that differed every time he told it, and then produced examples of "holy" writings (largely supposed to have been a combination of gibberish and Crucian) and "translated" them as indubitable proof that he was, indeed, a prophet. Once his status as holy was cemented, Atherton would hole himself up in the most comparatively nice shack, and beckon several of his favorite young women to the shack, where he would "tutor" them in the ways of his gods. Post-Grayhawk After he had pulled the con a number of times, he did what any sensible man would do: he retired the con, and recorded it for posterity. The people of Geiss and the other villages he had traveled to despaired at the loss of their prophet, and to this day, there are a few holdouts in each village that await the return of their prophets. Atherton dropped off of the map after that, leading a relatively down-low life until his death in 2340 D.C. Death Atherton was discovered dead in his home in Grove Haven, in the year 2340 D.C. Among his extensive library were journals beginning from the year 2360 D.C. until his death. To this day, it remains a mystery as to the exact cause of his death. Some speculate suicide, others say it was a rival con man. The autopsy came back inconclusive, and the world may never know. The truth that eventually came out about the Grayhawk Gambit, and captured Dakai, fascinated a generation of Daks, inspiring literature, art, and drama. However, most of the original villagers are oblivious to the truth, and still hold out for The Geissian Mimir, and believe that if they lead pure lives, their Mimir will one day lead the gods back to them. --Lucyfuntimeshow Citations: [[Craahfe|'Craahfe']] , [[Crucian|'Crucian']]